The uncertainty surrounding center Anderson Varejao had nothing to do with the Feb. 20 acquisition of Spencer Hawes.
The Cavaliers sent two second-round picks in 2014 (their own and Memphis’), forward Earl Clark and center Henry Sims to the Philadelphia 76ers for Hawes.
The trade was first reported by Yahoo! Sports.
The 7-foot, 245-pounder was averaging 13 points and 8.5 rebounds in 53 games with the Sixers. He shot 45.1 percent from the field, 39.9 percent from the 3-point line and 78.2 percent from the foul line.
The 25-year-old has spent the past four seasons with the Sixers.
Varejao has missed the previous four games with a sore back, as well as general soreness. The Cavs continue to list him as day-to-day. He had a steroidal injection recently in his back.
“It’s our belief that it would be great to not have to rely on (Varejao) for 43 minutes a night when we’re going to try to win the game,” Cavs acting General Manager David Griffin said. “Anderson gives you everything he has, every second he’s on the floor. You’re not going to dial that back. That’s what we love about him.
“We need to put a group of bigs out there that can sustain when Anderson sits down. As he continues to age, (we want to) give him fewer minutes (and) pair him with (players) that make it easier on him.”
Hawes is being brought to Cleveland to be the starting center, at least for the rest of the regular season. The Cavs (22-33) also have 7-foot center Tyler Zeller, who will likely remain in the starting lineup for the Toronto game on Feb. 21 at Air Canada Centre, 6-9 Tristan Thompson, 6-8 Anthony Bennett and eventually the 6-11 Varejao.
Hawes is making $6.6 million this season and will become an unrestricted free agent on July 1.
The 6-10, 225-pound Clark signed with the Cavs in free agency last summer, but quickly fell out of coach Mike Brown’s rotation. His contract worth $4.25 million for next year is not guaranteed.
“We’re all really excited to add Spencer Hawes to the group. He’s a player that we feel is a good complementary fit to what we do from a frontcourt standpoint, as far as floor spacing.
“We’re a draw-and-kick team. It’s going to make it easier for those guys. Guys like Luol Deng can slash a little easier. There’s room for movement.”
Griffin said it’s too early to say whether Hawes will remain in Cleveland past this season.
“If we build the type of environment we want to build, and the pieces fit together, decisions like staying and going will take care of themselves,” he said. “It becomes obvious what has to happen.”
The Cavs’ roster is at 14 players.
“We’ll take a swing at someone,” Griffin said.
Griffin said he didn’t feel like he had to mend the fences with veteran forward Deng. He spoke to several teams about a possible deal for Deng, guard Jarrett Jack and even backup center Zeller.
He said he didn’t come close to trading Deng.
“At no time did we shop Luol,” Griffin said. “We weren’t attempting to trade Luol. But I will never get in front of you and say I’m not listening to anything. I have to listen.
“I’ve already spoken to him and had a really good dialogue. We talked to a number of guys today about what we were attempting to do. Coach Brown spoke to the team before we left for Toronto and explained what the vision was of making this move. So, no, I don’t feel there’s any fence-mending necessary. Luol’s in a very good place with this. He wants what we all want, which is to be successful. He does a very good job of living in the moment that he controls.”
Hawes seems happy to be coming to the Cavs.
“Time for the next stage of my career, and I can’t wait to get started in Cleveland,” he tweeted. “#goCavs.”Quick shots
-- None of the Cavs’ injured players made the trip to Toronto. Varejao (sore back), shooting guard Dion Waiters (hyperextended left knee) and swingman C.J. Miles (sprained left ankle) are out of Friday’s game.
-- The Cavs waived Hawes’ physical and he flew to Toronto on the night of Feb. 20. He will be available for the shootaround at Air Canada Centre.
-- Hawes has the third-most career 3-point field goals made (194) among any player 7-foot or taller in NBA history, trailing only Dirk Nowitzki (1,425) and Andrea Bargnani (609).

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About the Author

Bob has covered the Cavs for The News-Herald and Morning Journal since 1995. He's a graduate of Kent State University and New Philadelphia High School. Reach the author at rfinnan@morningjournal.com
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